Alice in Canning Town
An exclusively East-End reimagining of a fantasy classic
All the favourite characters are still there, but in new, modern guises. A cockney rabbit, a rave-mad Mad Hatter, a hookah-smoking ex-Bollywood actor, Tweedledee and Tweedledum as hipsters, and a would-be grime artist called MC Turtle.
Alice in Canning Town is a kaleidoscopic journey through an East End that survived Hitler’s blitz and reinvented itself as a leading light in multicultural Britain.
Reconfigured specially for the East End, and performed site-responsively at Arc in the Park, an inclusive adventure playground in Canning Town, it’s the fourth in a heptalogy of Newham Plays written by James Kenworth that explores the borough’s rich heritage and shows off the talent of its young people.
“A pervading sense of nonsense justifies any arbitrary plot-dictating elements. After all, we left reality at the gate. The play allows its young cast to shine — each character has their moment. Particular favourites include MC Turtle’s heart-wrenching struggles to become a grime star (rapping nonsensically about mice in warehouses) and Georgia Wall’s uncanny hipster version of a Tweedle, named Pandora (whose frightened run is delightfully comical). Kenworth’s script draws laughter and warm smiles from the notably diverse, promenading audience. It’s true, Canning Town is a melting pot of multiculturalism, and this is fun for the whole family.”
- Daniel McLeod, The Upcoming